There have been some startling developments in the world during my two-week sojourn in Colorado.

Kim Jung Un has started playing his predictable games over the Trump summit. America opened a new embassy in Jerusalem, with predictable backlash from Hamas and other Arab extremists. And Mother Nature showed how unpredictable she can be by launching her volcanic re-conquest of Hawaii (of the “Big Island,” at any rate).

(I offered the reflection below to mark Kathy’s 65th birthday. These thoughts are as applicable five years later, on the occasion of another milestone for her.)

My wife’s favorite scripture reading is the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). Kathy always says that the experiences in her life make her able to identify with all three characters in the story — the son, the father, the brother — and she wants the passage read at her funeral.

I’ve promised her that, should she precede me in death, I’ll make sure her wish is fulfilled. But I’ve also insisted that I’ll read the famous Woman of Valor passage from Proverbs 31.*

One of the good things about funerals is that people’s virtues get spoken of in public. But then, that’s also one of the bad things; how unfortunate that we don’t often give voice to those virtues while the person we’re honoring is alive and on hand to hear our reflections. Everyone could use a little praise now and then.

That’s the time of year when conceited actors, overpaid sports stars, and self-righteous leftist icons offer words of encouragement to young people who are about to discover that the world isn’t like those warped descriptions they’ve been hearing for the past four years.

This exercise in emotional uplift is especially challenging when messages must be couched in terms that avoid giving offense to even the most contrived identity group, and can’t carry the least suggestion that our nation and way of life hold any hope for progress, equity, or civic virtue.

Commencement season focuses my mind on a particular source of impatience with the Trump Administration.

Why Jesus had to die on the cross is a question that becomes a major stumbling block for many people when they first consider the Christian story in a serious way.

It doesn’t seem to make sense that someone who touched people’s lives for the better, as Jesus clearly did (physically, morally, spiritually), should have been seen as a threat.

What could possibly have made anybody wish to harm him — much less put him to such a grizzly, tortuous death?

My novel, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, attempts to answer that question in an engaging fictional narrative. But back in 2013, when I launched this blog, my first post was an essay that addressed the issue of Jesus’ execution.

That piece was republished by the online journal, American Thinker, and I have reposted it at Eastertime in succeeding years.

My approach is not theological. I don’t go into the salvific power of Christ’s death and resurrection. Rather, I examine the social, economic and political circumstances surrounding Jesus’ mission (as I do in the novel as well).

Since, 2,000 years later, much confusion and misunderstanding remain, it’s timely to examine the question once again…

The earthy father of Jesus receives official honor twice during the liturgical year.

March 19 has been his feast day since, as they say, “time immemorial.” And in 1955 Pope Pius XII designated May 1 as the special feast of “St. Joseph the Worker,” highlighting Joseph’s worldly vocation as a carpenter or builder (tekton in Greek).

The pope’s intention was to provide a Christian alternative to May Day labor celebrations being promoted worldwide by the Soviet Union and the Communist Internationale. His idea caught on, and that feast is now celebrated by workers throughout the Catholic world.

St. Joseph plays a prominent role in my novel about the family of Jesus, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER. And on the first Father’s Day after the book’s publication Nancy Hastings of the Gatehouse Media Group did a brief feature article highlighting the unique challenges faced by St. Joseph, as I sketched them in my novel.

It’s only right St. Joseph is honored as a model of the fatherly virtues.

Those virtues are under stress these days. Much of the crime, violence, extremism and sexual perversion we see around us can be attributed to the collapse of fatherhood that’s evident throughout large portions of our society (and those of other nations as well).

Appealing to St. Joseph as an intercessor in this difficult period would be most appropriate. And if you don’t accept the Catholic notion of saints interceding on our behalf, then merely try invoking the name of Joseph in the prayers you address directly to God. Either way, I believe Joseph is a powerful helper standing by — and an example for all men with children to raise, young lives to mold.

So to mark the Feast of St. Joseph — and even though it’s not Father’s Day — here’s Nancy’s article…

It’s often said that God laughs at the elaborate plans we make. If that’s true, He must have had Himself quite a good chuckle when a veritable blizzard wiped out the Catholic Authors of Michigan mini-book fair which had originally been set for February 10.

But perhaps God also blesses those things that amuse Him, because the rescheduled event — now set for Saturday, March 17 — is going to be even bigger than the affair first planned.

EWTN personality Teresa Tomeo is still headlining this gathering of Michigan-based Catholic authors (among whom, I humbly remind you, is moi, Bill Kassel, yours truly). But some other fine writers have been added.

I have never been comfortable with involving kids in political campaigns or politically tinged causes.

No doubt, the presence of apple-cheeked toddlers or clean-scrubbed, wholesome looking young people can add a certain moral luster — rather like when a candidate trots out the wife and kiddies for a campaign ad. Such gestures purport to show concern for the future and commitment to what’s best for those we love.

But whether it’s baby strollers at a protest outside a local abortion mill, or the spooky video that appeared early in Obama’s first term showing cute little black kids marching and chanting to demonstrate their pride in the new President, there’s always an element of exploitation.

This element is clearly on display in the “children’s crusade” that has emerged from the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

The February 14th attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School far exceeds the carnage of that 1929 hit job in which seven mobsters were gunned down amid a Chicago turf war.

So I assume it’s the horror of 17 dead bodies — most of them teenagers — plus numerous blood-soaked survivors keeping this appalling incident in Florida from being widely labeled as the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.”

But if such a designation seems too flip for the seriousness of this tragedy, there’s been no restraint in hyping last Wednesday’s murderous rampage into a demand for gun control, as well as, predictably, a criticism of Donald Trump.

Ash Wednesday kicks off Lent this week. Perhaps some thoughts I posted back in 2014 (and then reposted last year) might still be of interest…

____________

I have to confess that there are certain Catholic pious practices I don’t entirely get.

It probably reflects the fact that I’m an adult convert and wasn’t raised in the Church — or that I’ve made less progress on my spiritual journey than I like to assume.

One of the things I don’t get is fasting.

As I understand it, the Church advocates self-denial as a way of detaching ourselves from fleshly preoccupations. Yet I’m never more preoccupied with concerns of the flesh (that is to say, eating) than when I deny myself food.

Secondary Sidebar

My Brother’s Keeper — Comments from Readers…

From the opening words of Bill Kassel’s novel we are drawn into the complex and colorful world of first century Israel. The reader is caught up in the drama of Christ through the eyes of Jesus’ natural family. Kassel’s work is unconventional, exciting and controversial, offering fresh insights and inspiration for believers and non believers alike.
—Fr. Dwight Longenecker
Blogger and Author

My Brother’s Keeper was, for me, a most gratifying reading experience. The book is beautifully written. And even with my limited early Christian history knowledge, I could tell that it had been exhaustively researched. I consider it a significant literary achievement. It was a privilege to read it.
—Gordon Boardman
Kalamazoo, MI

It makes the Gospels come alive in a new way. I loved it.
Frank Berkemeier
Jackson, MI

This was a fascinating book! It was not what I thought it was going to be. I thought the main character, James the Just, was going to turn out to be one of Jesus’ Apostles and the book would describe what it was like to spread the Good News. Instead, it came from the perspective of a family member who was not 100% sure that Jesus was the Messiah. Not only that: James the Just had a sort of friendship with Pontius Pilate. The entire book put you in the Holy Land while Jesus walked. It was a fascinating read. I would recommend it, and already have!
—Carol McHale
Reviewer for
Good Reads

Bill Kassel has taken a very different approach to the Christian story. His is not the conventional Christmas card portrait of the Holy Family. Rather, he has delved deeply into the earliest writings in Church Tradition and offered some compelling suppositions about what was going on around Jesus and how the people closest to him might have been effected by it. He has crafted a plot that’s engaging to the modern reader and, surprisingly, doesn’t contradict Scripture.”
—Fr. Joe Krupp
Columnist
Faith Magazine

If I lived in the time of Jesus, who would I think He was? What would I have believed about Him? Would I have espoused His teachings? It wasn’t like being raised Catholic in the 20th century. My Brother’s Keeper made me realize in a fresh new way how hard it was, in Jesus’ time, for many people — especially Jews — to believe in Jesus and how amazing His mission really was.
—Cheryl Nael
Ave Maria Radio

This book is one of my favorites. My Brother’s Keeper, from page one, invites you to go deeper into the daily life and time of Christ. Most of us are very familiar with the scriptures that give us an account of his life. This book takes you to a personal level that creates a very real image of not only the people but how Christ’s relationships and decisions created a life outside of themselves. How Jesus related to his family, and how his family saw him, bring a very realistic aspect to his life, and created the beginnings of a more personal understanding of Christ in my own life.
—Chris Hoyt
Osseo, MI

Well worth reading. Kassel Takes Biblical facts, Historic facts, Jewish facts and traditions, and weaves them into a compelling narrative. The dialogue is believable and enlightening. You really feel like you are there it is so well written and believable. I honestly couldn’t put it down even though I know the end as the Bible tells it. Kassel captures the emotions of the characters and they are believable. A very compelling and enjoyable read.
—D. Clark Wonderland
Reviewer for
Amazon.com

Bill Kassel has created a vivid landscape for his characters that can be clearly seen felt and almost touched. The Interaction between the characters is understated and dutiful with silent respect. The reader can almost hear their thoughts in humble reverential tones. The relationships between the characters comes across as genuine and the narrative moves along smoothly. And the storyline in engaging. All in all a very good read.
—Al Ferber
Poet & Author

The subject matter and historical period are interesting to me so I find this a good read. I am Catholic but I think the book would be of interest to any Christian who would like to read a fictionalized rendering of what life might have been like for Jesus’ brother, James.
—M.D. Garnett
Reviewer for
Amazon.com

Read this book. ’Tis a very interesting speculation about the family of Joseph, James and Jesus as the Jewish foundation to the Catholic faith.
—Ralph Wasche
White City, OR

“…a book of history, and, yes, entertainment. Even though we all know how it will end, I can’t put it down! It’s one of those stories you find yourself thinking of when you go about your daily routine …. Whether you are a Christian or not, this is an awesome read.”
—Nancy Ryan
Book Reviewer
Simply Hers
Magazine

Bill Kassel explores the impact Jesus’s birth and ministry had on his family, specifically Joseph and Joseph’s son James. Diligent research vividly describes the geography of the region and portrays the culture and politics of Judaism at that time. Not the typical retelling of the story of Jesus. Kassel poses questions that challenge the reader to rethink basic premises and meditate on new perspectives and their impact on the reader.
—Christine DeNuccio
Reviewer for
Amazon.com

Fantastic! Transported me back to Jesus’ time. And a new perspective on James. Great read.
—“Book Bug”
Reviewer for
Barnes & Noble

Reading “My Brother’s Keeper” is like being part of the part of the crowd at the crucifixion. Mr. Kassel transports you into the Word. I was there and understood the life of Jesus and his family situation.
I am a Protestant, and there are a few things I can’t agree with, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book and Mr. Kassel’s grasp of the English language. I was there with my Savior.
—Gail Gioia
Upper Black Eddy, PA